Absorption pads question (re: washing machine)

[WildIrish]

I'm thinking of getting the Absorption Pads for our washing machine, but first I want to make sure that they'll help our problem.

We have a Sears Kenmore washer, built sometime in the 1990's. On the spin cycle, it shakes--HARD. I know nothing's wrong with the washer, because I have a friend who has one of these washers, and he has the same complaint. The spin cycle is so hard, in fact, that it actually wears out our clothes faster.

Needless to say, this thing is a monster in a mobile home!

I even wonder if it might be the reason we're having some problems with our furnace, because there is only a thin wall separating the two.

We can't afford to replace the washer, but I was hoping we could reduce the vibrations.

The washer repairman said that we should reinforce our laundry room floor with plywood, but I wonder if the absorption pads would be a better idea. Our back door couldn't open, if the floor were any higher! And it'd be hugely expensive to have a handyman add to the floor AND cut into the wall to adjust the door frame, before reinstalling the door!

So my questions are:

1) The absorption pads page says these pads won't stop the washer from shaking, but it will reduce vibration going into the floor. So will the washer shake more or less than it does on a solid floor?

2) If the pads won't work, would it work if we just had plywood placed on the half of the floor where the washer/dryer are, in order to leave the door free to move on the lower (original) part of the floor?

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated--thank you!

[Harry]

Hi

My wife bought the biggest at Sears. It is a shaker especially with a full load. Plus the washer was a "walker" (it would move around).

I put 3/4 plywood under the machines with a thick black rubber mat under the plywood. This has REDUCED the vibration 80% and no "walking".

Harry

[flcruising]

The thing about most 'absorption pads' is that they are made out of foam. Foam compresses eventually. I suggest you do as Harry said and use rubber.

Notice the last sentence of the disclaimer here. Then tell me what other situation woud require use of them, concrete?

http://www.washingmachinepads.com/

[troyster]

I bought the set of 4 absorption pads from Mark & Lise recently, and while they do help reduce the vibration they do not eliminate it nor do they stop the machine from vibrating. Do you have a front load washer? The front load do shake around more than the top loads. Did you check to make sure washer is level. This is most important to check as a unlevel washer is guaranteed to shake. I have plywood floors plus another piece of plywood under the washer and it still vibrates my thin walls and windows a bit. My neighbour has a platform built under her washer made of 3/4 inch plywood and 2x6 and she has no vibration at all in her home nor does her washer shake. This would be your best bet.

[Mark]

The absorption pads we sell are made of rubber. They are a quick fix to help minimize the vibration felt thru the floor, but they will not stop your washer from vibrating. Vibration is caused by several factors including a weak floor, unlevel machine, unbalanced machine or something defective in the machine.

Mark

[Greg]

For our front loader, I added a 2x12 on each side of the washer cubby anchored into the wall studs then added 2 2x6s across to the 2x12 then set the washer up on them. It reduced the vibration by 90% and was a LOT cheaper then the pedistal for the washer. Greg

[WildIrish]

To answer the question several people were asking, it's very hard to keep our washer level. The floor in our MH isn't level, plus the washer is so powerful that, when we DO get it leveled, one load of laundry will throw it off-level again. To make matters worse, the washer and dryer are in such closed quarters, that even the repairmen we've hired can't level it very well.

@ Harry:
Sears washers really are bears, aren't they? And they really weaken the fibers of clothing faster than other brands we've had.

I'd have to actually take a whiff of the rubber mat before having it put in, as it'd be indoors...and we have allergies to quite a few rubber products. Sounds like a great solution, but I don't know if the initial fumes from the rubber would cause us major problems. I know the smell would go away after a while, but we'd get terribly sick from the fumes of new rubber.

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@ troyster:
No, it's not a front-loader. I'll consider that a reminder not to get one of those!

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I sure hope it won't cost too much to get some plywood put in the laundry room. I think I'll print out you guys' suggestions, and show them to a handyman. Since he'll be here on the scene to see the exact situation, he'll have a better knowledge of how to apply your ideas to our specific MH.

Thank you all for your input!